The present invention relates to a turnbuckle device for clamping concrete shell elements, having two claws, which are displaceable toward one another, and a wedge, the claws having legs, the legs having contact surfaces extending in a plane for contact on struts of frames of concrete shell elements, the legs having lugs on their free ends which are capable of engaging behind depressions in frames of concrete shell elements.
A turnbuckle device according to the species is known, for example, from DE 35 45 273 A1.
Concrete shell elements are used to erect delimitations for concrete bodies to be cast such as building walls. In order to obtain delimitations which may be cemented in, typically multiple concrete shell elements must be connected permanently to one another. Turnbuckles are used to connect the concrete shell elements.
The concrete shell elements essentially comprise a shell skin, a frame, and struts for stabilizing the frame. The turnbuckles are typically positioned in the area of the intersections of struts and frames. Each claw of a turnbuckle encloses a frame section of two concrete shell elements to be connected, and the two claws—and therefore the concrete shell elements—are clamped to one another using a wedge, i.e., the claws are moved toward one another and into one another in a clamping direction.
Turnbuckles of the related art, such as those according to DE 35 45 273 A1, have contact surfaces of legs of the claws resting on the top of transversely running struts of the concrete shell elements. To clamp the turnbuckle, the turnbuckle must first be oriented. In particular, lugs on the free ends of the legs must be inserted into vertically running grooves in the frame sections of the two concrete shell elements. As soon as the lugs of the legs of both claws are simultaneously in position, the wedge may be advanced to clamp the claws.
The object of the present invention is to provide a turnbuckle device which is simpler to orient and mount.